A CBI special court in Chennai has sentenced two people, including a former Project Director of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), to four years of rigorous imprisonment in a bribery case. The court also imposed a total fine of ₹40,000 on the accused.
Those convicted are Shri H. Bhima Simha Hindupur, who was the Project Director at the NHAI Project Implementation Unit (PIU) in Villupuram, and Shri J. Saravanan, who worked as his Personal Assistant on a contract basis.
Bribery Demand for Restaurant Permission
The case goes back to October 27, 2017, when the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered an FIR based on a complaint against Shri Bhima Simha. It was alleged that he demanded a bribe of ₹2 lakh in exchange for giving permission to run a restaurant on land located next to the National Highway in Villupuram.
According to the complaint, the land was leased to the complainant who intended to operate a hotel named Sara Restaurant. Shri Bhima Simha allegedly instructed the complainant to submit land documents through his assistant J. Saravanan, and also contact the proprietor of M/s MM Consultants, Erode, to prepare the access proposal.
Caught Red-Handed in CBI Trap
Acting swiftly, the CBI laid a trap operation and caught both Shri Bhima Simha and Shri Saravanan red-handed while accepting the bribe of ₹2,00,000 from the complainant.
Shri Bhima Simha was working on deputation from the Roads & Buildings Department, Government of Andhra Pradesh, Vijayawada, from April 17, 2013, to October 27, 2017. His assistant, Shri J. Saravanan, was hired through a contractor and was not a regular government employee.
Chargesheet and Judgment
The chargesheet was filed by the CBI on June 7, 2019, and the case was tried in the XIV Special Additional Court for CBI Cases in Chennai. After reviewing all evidence and hearing arguments, the court found both the accused guilty of accepting bribes.
The judgment has been welcomed as a strong step against corruption, especially in key infrastructure sectors like national highways.